Lectins are toxic proteins made by plants to protect themselves from being eaten by animals. Lectins can’t be digested, & bind to particular carbohydrate molecules on our cell membranes & can thereby disrupt cell function, interfere with gene expression, cause red and white blood cells to clump together in our veins, and activate autoimmune responses to our own tissues such as the thyroid, pancreas or joints.

Lectins may also bind to the cells lining our gut wall, thus interfering with absorption of nutrients and causing leaky gut.
This may result in systemic inflammation, which is a major part of all chronic disease.
 
Symptoms of Inflammation from a high lectin diet may include:

• Wind & bloating
• Diarrhea or irritable bowel
• Joint or muscle pain, leg cramps & restless legs syndrome
• Back pain or headaches
• Brain fog & Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Can’t lose weight
• Autoimmune disease

 
Foods highest in inflammatory lectins are:

• Grains - yes all of them!
• Beans & Legumes - did you know peanuts & cashews are legumes?
• A1 Dairy
• Nightshades - white potato, tomato, eggplant, capsicum, goji berries
• Gourds - pumpkin, zucchini & squash
• Chia seeds, sunflower seeds

Those who remove high lectin foods from their diet, may notice some symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, muscle pain & brain fog disappearing relatively quickly – in the first month. More serious long term inflammatory symptoms may take up to a year to improve so it needs patience to persevere, but it’s worth it to feel good again. If you suspect you may have lectin related inflammation call Sunshine Coast Nutritionist Karen Emans for a consultation on 0408748532

​The average age of menopause is 50 years, accompanying this many women experience debilitating symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings and poor sleep, fatigue and brain fog. It can all add up to a very challenging time.
 
A recent study of 400 post-menopausal women published in the journal Nature, found that the higher women’s antioxidant status at menopause the fewer symptoms they experienced. Both physical and psychological symptoms were found to be significantly lower in women with higher dietary antioxidant intake. Antioxidants in the diet are abundantly available in fresh vegetables, fruit, nuts, tea and 80% dark chocolate. This is consistent with previous research showing that a high plant based, or Mediterranean style diet reduces menopausal symptoms. It’s suggested that the antioxidant benefits may occur via their anti-inflammatory & phyto-estrogenic effects, & blood sugar regulating actions. Dietary antioxidants may also regulate the stress response & protect brain cells from oxidative damage.
(Study - “Dietary total antioxidant capacity is inversely related to menopausal symptoms” Jnl Nutrition, 55–56, 161–167)
 
If you are having a challenging time with menopause call for a consultation with Sunshine Coast Nutritionist Karen Emans on 0408 748 532

You might have heard lately of some of the benefits of mindfulness.
Mindfulness can be described as the conscious practice of non-judgmental, present moment awareness. Scientists tell us from a multitude of studies done over recent years, that it helps us reduce our stress response, increase our ability to concentrate at work and therefore our productivity & effectiveness, improves our relationships with other people, & yes, even increases our happiness.... That’s all good news.
The really good news is that we can learn it, & through daily practice get proficient at it, so that we start to access those benefits for ourselves.
 
Turns out that self-talk in its many forms – mental chatter, story telling, and worry, going over and over things that happened, or didn’t happen but should have, what they said and what you will say next time….. it all makes us miserable. And it also seems that multi-tasking not only makes us inefficient & forgetful, but also anxious and restless, & vaguely dissatisfied.
 
If you would like to learn the practice of mindfulness on the Sunshine Coast, we run regular 6 week Mindfulness courses.
​For more information call Karen Emans at the Sunshine Coast Natural Health Clinic on 0408 748 532

​A nerve based superhighway runs between the brain and the gut, taking information in both directions. Researchers suggest that chronic stress may play an important role in the development & recurrence of SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), which can be an underlying cause of multiple food intolerance.
 
Gut bacteria (the microbiome) can contribute to stress by producing inflammatory Lipopolysaccharides which activate the amygdala - the brains stress center. Stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol adversely affect the microbiome in many ways.
 

How does stress affect digestion?

1. Stress reduces gastric acid production in the stomach.                                                                                                   Stomach acid prevents bacteria from surviving in the stomach to enter the small intestine.
2. Stress reduces gastrointestinal motility which can result in constipation
3. Stress reduces secretory IgA – a protective immunoglobulin on the wall of intestinal membranes.                                    This makes it possible for bacterial overgrowth to establish itself in the small intestine.
4. Stress hormones cortisol and adrenalin appear to be associated with biofilm overgrowth in the intestines.                Biofilm hides pathogenic bacteria & so protects it from elimination.  

 So you can see that stress is not good news for the gut. There are many ways of addressing stress in your life.                       One you may not have considered is Mindfulness Meditation. At the clinic we run regular courses in Mindfulness meditation.  For more information on this can Karen Emans of Sunshine Coast Natural Medicine Clinic on 0408 748 532.
 

An Ideal Plate on The Brain Maker Diet should include:

• 2/3 plate of fibrous vegetables that grow above ground (3 handfuls)

These are high in polyphenols which reduce oxidative stress

• A side of Fermented foods which increase good bacteria
• 100 – 115g grass fed meat, non-farmed fish, free range organic chicken & pork
• Healthy Fat from oil in salad dressing, fat in meat & fish, nuts / seeds, avocado
• Berries and other low sweetness fruit is ok
• Tea is fine – contains polyphenols which increase Bifidobacterium
• Percolated coffee 1 – 2 cups daily
• 85% Dark chocolate has high levels of beneficial flavonoids

 
Small amounts of the following are ok (a couple of times a week)

• Hummus
• Rice and other gluten free grains occasionally
• Carrots occasionally
•  85% Dark chocolate occasionally

Severe fatigue after exercise, poor endurance, and prolonged recovery time after exercise, are very common in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lyme’s disease, and Fibro Myalgia.

AMPk (adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase) is an enzyme found in every cell in the body which acts as a master switch to turn on energy production in the mitochondria - the tiny energy factories inside our cells. In healthy people AMPk increases when we exercise, & thereby causes more energy to be produced.
 
A research paper into post exercise exhaustion was published in April 5015 entitled “Abnormalities of AMPk Activation and Glucose Uptake in Cultured Skeletal Muscle Cells from Individuals with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”. Scientists studied skeletal muscle tissue from patients with CFS. Their muscle cell samples were placed in cultures and stimulated by small electrical pulses to cause the muscle cells to contract repeatedly, which needs energy. They were then compared to healthy control samples. Results showed that CFS muscle cell cultures had no increase in AMPk phosphorylation, or glucose uptake after several hours of electrical stimulation, unlike the healthy controls which did. This failure to increase AMPk could explain the exhaustion & long recovery period induced by exercise in chronic fatigue conditions.
 
Several natural substances have been found by scientists to increase AMPk including:

• Resveratrol, Quercetin & Curcumin
• Co Q10
• Acetyl L Carnitine
• Astragalus & Reishi mushroom

 
If you experience undue fatigue after exercise call Sunshine Coast Nutritionist and Kinesiologist
​Karen Emans on 0408 748 532

​Have you had your Homocysteine levels checked recently? As we age the amino acid Homocysteine increases in the blood, and scientists tell us that elevated levels of Homocysteine (blood level >10) is associated with increasing risk of  atherosclerosis, heart arrhythmia, heart attack and stroke, as well as dementia. This is because high Homocysteine triggers increased inflammation, oxidative damage to blood vessel walls, and increased risk of clotting. Studies have shown the benefit of taking a combination of 4 key
B Vitamins: activated B2, B6, B12, and Folate, for reducing Homocysteine
to healthy levels. If you are keen to reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and dementia call Sunshine Coast Nutritionist Karen Emans on 0408748532 to see how research done by modern science can benefit you.
 

​We all love that feeling of robust energy and vitality, & it’s a hallmark of good health. As we age however, or when we are unwell or inflamed, we can feel tired, lethargic & foggy in the brain. Scientists are looking at ways to improve energy availability by regenerating the Mitochondria – the energy factories in our cells. Biochemist Bruce Ames PhD, is a professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He has been researching ways to reverse the mitochondrial deterioration that results in damaging free radical production, like an old car engine producing smoke. Damaged mitochondria, with inefficient machinery, and damaged DNA or membranes, can’t produce energy efficiently, leading to fatigue, brain fog and moodiness.
 
He found that Acetyl-L-carnitine which transports fatty acids into the mitochondria to use for fuel, & lipoic acid a mitochondrial coenzyme & antioxidant, rejuvenated older lab rats that couldn’t run fast on a treadmill or find their way around a water pool. Their running, swimming & memory improved. CoQ10 has been found to increase the rate of energy production and protect the mitochondria from damage, and B vitamins, particularly vitamin B3 are essential for the energy production process. If any of these are deficient the mitochondria can’t do their job & we feel tired & foggy as a result. If you want more energy and greater clarity call Sunshine Coast Nutritionist & Kinesiologist Karen Emans 0408748532 

​Each cell requires energy to function. This energy is manufactured by tiny energy factories within the cell called mitochondria. The more energy a cell needs the more mitochondria it will have, and the more you demand of your muscles through exercise the more mitochondria they will build to supply that need. This process is called mitochondrial bio-genesis. If you are feeling tired, or exhausted after exercise you may have a degree of mitochondrial dysfunction.
 


Mitochondrial Function is typically impaired in 3 ways:
1.         Deficiency of Nutritional Substrate ie vitamins & specific antioxidants
2.         Disruption by - Chemicals & Heavy Metals which deposit in fatty membranes
                                  - Infection - Epstein Barr / Ross River / Barmah Forrest / Borrelia (Lyme’s)
3.         Oxidative damage to mitochondrial membranes or mitochondrial DNA
 
Mitochondrial Repair Program
1.       Optimize energy production in Mitochondria with essential nutritional substrates
2.       Restore mitochondrial membrane fluidity with high quality fatty acids
3.       Reduce free radical damage to mitochondrial DNA with antioxidants
4.       Induce Mitochondrial bio-genesis  

Find out how much you can improve your cells capacity to produce life giving energy, by using our Mitochondrial Repair Program. Call Sunshine Coast Nutritionist Karen Emans on 0408748532

A study published in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience in January 2018 showed that migraine sufferers who received 400mg of Coenzyme Q10 daily for 3 months had a reduction in the frequency, severity and duration of their migraines, as well as a reduction in the inflammation marker TNF-alpha in their blood. Migraines may be triggered by many factors including inflammatory reactions to certain foods, high stress, hormonal changes, and toxicity. In our clinic we investigate these to determine what factors are relevant to each person, & then create an individual treatment protocol to address them. If you have headaches or migraines and are looking for a way to help yourself give Sunshine Coast Nutritionist and Kinesiologist
​Karen Emans a call on 0408 748 532.
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